Sons of Anarchy Spin-Off Mayans MC Gets a New Lead

After the Sons of Anarchy spin-off Mayans MC announced in July that it will re-cast certain roles and re-shoot the pilot, the first new cast member has finally been revealed. Michael Irby has been announced as the first new cast member for the re-shot pilot, playing Obispo "Bishop" Losa, a character who FX has said wasn't in the original incarnation of the pilot. It isn't ultimately clear how many characters will be re-cast, and how many new characters will be introduced at this point. Here's a description of this new character below.

Obispo "Bishop" Losa is the president of Mayans MC's Santo Padre Charter. From a broken home in the Salton Sea, he was taken in by the family of his cousin, Marcus Alvarez (Emilio Rivera), Mayan MC founder and National President. After a tour of duty in Iraq and one in Pelican Bay, Bishop was sent by Alvarez to set up and run the critical Mexi-Cali border charter. He is as deadly as he is loyal."

Cast members who are returning for the pilot reshoots are the series lead JD Pardo, who plays EZ Reyes, Edward James Olmos as EZ's father, Felipe Reyes and Emilio Rivera as Marcus Alvarez. There has been no indication about whether or not any of the previously-confirmed actors are returning, or if their roles have been re-cast at this time. The cast also includes Alexandra Barreto as Antonia Pena, Andrea Londo as Carnalita, Antonio Jaramillo as Michael "Riz" Ariza, Carla Baratta as Carnalita, Clayton Cardenas as Angel Reyes, Efrat Dor as Katrina, Jacqueline Obradors as Marisol Reyes, John Ortiz as Esai "Taino" Osorio, Raymond Cruz as Che "Padre" Romero, Richard Cabral as Johnny "El Coco" Cruz and Sarah Bolger as Emily.

For seven seasons, Kurt Sutter's award-winning Sons of Anarchy was the highest-rated ongoing drama series in FX history. Now, Sutter returns to that world with Mayans MC, a drama series pilot for FX and the next chapter in the SOA saga, which he co-wrote with producing partner Elgin James. Sutter will direct the pilot episode and serve as Executive Producer, with James serving as Co-Executive Producer. The pilot is being produced by Fox 21 Television Studios and FX Productions, with production scheduled to begin in March. Mayans MC is set in a post Jax Teller world, where EZ Reyes, a prospect in the Mayan MC charter on the Cali/Mexi border, struggles with his desire for vengeance against the cartel, and his need for respect from the women he loves. The Mayans were recurring and pivotal players in Sons of Anarchy throughout the show's seven-year run.

This certainly hasn't been the first time that FX has re-shot a pilot, with the original Sons of Anarchy pilot also being reshoots, switching out Ron Perlman for Scott Glenn as the now-iconic character Clay Morrow. FX also reshot the pilot for this year's critically-acclaimed drama Snowfall, which has been picked up for a second season. It isn't known when reshoots will take place, but perhaps Kurt Sutter will reveal more set photos when principal photography gets under way. Michael Irby has most recently had recurring roles on NBC's Taken and CBS' Seal Team, and he is currently filming the HBO series Barry.